Plans are afoot to run electric buses from various district headquarters to the State capital Hyderabad on a pilot basis soon, said Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) Managing Director V C Sajjanar.
Discussions were held with the manufacturers of the electric vehicles to implement the pilot project, he said, adding that electric vehicles would be operated from Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam, Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar, among other towns, to Hyderabad.
Mr Sajjanar was speaking to reporters in Vemulawada after offering special prayers at the historic Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy temple in the famous temple town on Thursday.
Tenders have been floated to purchase 116 new buses including air-conditioned buses and non-AC sleeper buses to augment the public transport services, he noted.
A mobile app. will be launched soon to help the commuters track the movement of the TSRTC buses in real time in the rural areas.
The TSRTC Cargo and Parcel services received an overwhelming patronage as is evident from the huge volume of business worth a little over ₹100 crore handled by the wing during the past one and a half years, Mr Sajjanar said referring to the successful delivery of jaggery (called Bangaram in local parlance) during the Sammakka Saralamma jatara and Sita Rama kalyana talambralu of Bhadrachalam temple during the Sri Rama Navami festivities through the TSRTC cargo and parcel services earlier this year.
Nearly 22 tonnes of mangoes have been transported from Jagtial district to various destinations through the TSRTC’s cargo and parcel services so far this season.
The TSRTC is considering a proposal to deliver the prasadam of the historic temple in Vemulawada through the corporation’s cargo and parcel service in view of representations received from various quarters in this regard, he said.
He further said the patronage for the TSRTC buses in the rural areas has been overwhelming and renewed focus has been laid to improve the Occupancy Ratio and revive the past glory of the public transport entity with a holistic approach.
TSRTC Karimnagar Zone Executive Director V Venkateshwarlu, Regional Manager Khusro Shah Khan and others were present.
Earlier, Mr Sajjanar was accorded a traditional welcome by the priests at the temple.
The temple executive officer Rama Devi and other officials of the Endowments Department were present.
